


I Feel Pretty

by somekindaspacecadet



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Gen, Girls support girls f yeah, I love little newsies, Trans, Trans Blink, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Smalls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 09:28:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15969524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somekindaspacecadet/pseuds/somekindaspacecadet
Summary: Medda and the Bowery beauties don't hesitate to give one of the littlest newsies some support and love.





	I Feel Pretty

**Author's Note:**

> Blink was happy to help Smalls out by giving her some of his old clothes from before his transition, but they're not exactly the same size (she's a smol kiddo, hence the nickname). Medda is insanely protective and supportive of every newsie no matter what their story is and her girls are very talented and kind as well. Enjoy this pink and sparkly and fluffy wholesomeness. <3

It wasn’t at all uncommon to find a gaggle of newsboys loitering at the Bowery at any given time of day or night. To the audience members who frequented the little theater, they were a bit of a nuisance: they were always kicking their dirty feet up on the chairs in front of them, cursing and talking loudly during shows, leaning against each other provocatively, and whistling and hollering at the girls onstage. What the casual onlookers didn’t know, though, was that the raucous, dirt-smudged, rebellious newsies were always welcome at the Bowery, and that if anyone so much as laid a finger on them, Medda Larkin and her girls would hear about it.

On this particular occasion, Blink, Smalls, and Crutchie had good reason to be hiding out backstage. They’d been banging desperately on the backstage door just a few minutes ago, and one of the girls, recognizing them, had let them in. They’d tumbled inside and slammed the door behind them, blocking out the shouted threats from the streets outside just in time. Crutchie leaned against the wall, laughing breathlessly, as Blink helped Smalls up from where she’d tripped and fallen over her skirt. The dancer, amused and more than a little bewildered at what she’d just let inside, rushed off to find Medda.

“I can’t… believe… that worked,” Crutchie managed in between deep breaths and giggles.

“‘Course it worked.” Blink grinned widely. “Them dumbasses’ll fall for anythin’.”

Smalls stood up, dusting off her skirt. “But Morris really believed you dropped a spider down his shirt.”

Blink tugged on her braid affectionately. “Gotta pick up somethin’ to get back at ‘em. An’ this one can last, too. We gotta start gettin’ the word out that Morris Delancey is deadly scared ‘a fuzzballs.”

Crutchie snorted. “We don’t all got a death wish, Blink.”

“You think I’s ever gonna let a Delancey catch me? Hell no.”

“Well, me neither, but--”

“Boys, boys,” Medda’s voice rang out at she walked down the narrow hallway towards them. “You know I don’t like bickerin’ in my theater.” She grinned as the boys both straightened up immediately, and bent to give Smalls a hug. “And how are you doin’, princess? They draggin’ you into trouble?”

Smalls shook her head with a smile. “It was my idea.”

Medda laughed, a clear, melodic sound that filled the space. “That’s my girl.”

“Miss Medda, can we stay a little bit?” Crutchie asked. All laughing aside, his cheeks were pink and he was still panting from the effort of running from the Delanceys, and besides, it would probably be a while before they gave up and stopped waiting outside for them all to come out of the theater so they could try to chase them down again.

“A’course, darlin’. Better to have you in here where I can keep an eye on ya.” She winked. “Come on back.”

The three of them followed Medda to her dressing room, which was really the apartment she lived in, as it was attached to a small bedroom and a washroom as well. The back of the theater was dramatic and shadowy with its vaulted ceilings, maze of ropes and curtains, and mysterious nooks and crannies that weren't reached by the lights of the oil lamps that lined the walls. When the three of them stepped into Medda’s rooms, though, they were immediately greeted by the smell of flowery perfume, the warm lights of her lamps and candles, and the overwhelming-- but oddly welcoming-- wash of pink and red wallpaper, furniture, and carpet. Medda kept her room filled with roses and other assorted bouquets, most gifted to her by admirers and audience members. The flowers sat on almost every tabletop, spilling over vases and soda bottles and framing the pink plush poufs and loveseats with splashes of color.

Crutchie found a seat on one of the couches next to Blink. He reached over to the side table next to the arm, where one of Jack’s drawings was leaning up against a vase, colored in with the new colored wax pencils he’d bought for himself last week. He smiled as he smoothed out the creases in the paper, eyes poring over the details. Blink leaned over his shoulder to get a look at it, and grinned. “Ooh, Jackie boy’s been drawin’ them dancin’ girls.”

Crutchie laughed. “Oh yeah, makes me real jealous,” he joked, handing the drawing of the girl in the bright pink costume to Blink to look at.

Blink held it for a moment, then passed it to Smalls. “Pretty good, huh?”

Smalls took the picture and nodded. She stared down at it for a few minutes, absorbed, and a blush crept up her cheeks.

“You okay, honey?” asked Medda, who had taken a seat at her fuschia-framed vanity to freshen up her makeup. She turned around on her chair to look at Smalls, who was fidgeting nervously with the hem of her skirt.

“I-- yes.” Smalls traced a finger over the picture gently. “I wish I was pretty like her,” she admitted quietly.

“You’s real pretty, Smalls!” Blink said encouragingly.

Smalls just shrugged. “Not like that. You're just sayin’ that to be nice.”

Medda clucked her tongue. “Blink don't know nothin’ about it, sweet girl,” she said, sending Blink an affectionate wink. “C’mere.” She held out a hand for Smalls, who took it and stood.

Smalls took a few steps towards Medda, but then tripped again on her skirt, stumbling forward. Medda lunged forward to catch her. “Sorry,” Smalls said, getting back to her feet.

“Don't be sorry!” Medda insisted. She frowned. “Let me take a look at that dress you got, honey.” She knelt down on the floor in front of Smalls, picking up the dirty, frayed hem to examine it. 

“It’s my favorite,” Smalls said, brushing her hands over the faded peach-and-white striped fabric. “Blink gave it to me for my birthday.”

Medda gasped suddenly. “Blink Bartlett!” She exclaimed accusingly, head snapping up to look at him. “Did you really give this girl this dress?”

“Uhh… yeah?” He blinked, surprised at the sudden outburst.

“It don't fit her at all!” Medda declared, tugging at the places where the fabric was loose around the waist and the arms. The sleeves trailed down past Smalls's wrists, and the collar drooped around her neck. “And this hem,” Medda said, holding up the edge of the dress. She shook her head disapprovingly. “Why didn't you bring her to me straight away? She's probably been fallin’ over herself for weeks, poor thing.”

Blink looked flustered. “Sorry. I guess I thought it fit her fine.” Crutchie looked over at him and smirked, glad he wasn't the one getting reprimanded by Medda.

Medda was clearly not in the mood for excuses. She waved a hand at Blink. “You go run and find Kara and tell her I need her to bring her sewin’ box.” She took Smalls's hands and smiled at her. “Don't you worry. We'll get you fixed right up.”

Within minutes, Blink had returned. Following him into the room was a tall girl the newsies all recognized from previous shows they'd seen-- she was still wearing her frothy, icing-white dress, glittery feathers and all, but her wig had been removed and her hair fell down to her waist in long waves. She was carrying what looked like a picnic basket, and she beamed at Smalls when she saw her standing with Medda by the vanity. “Hi!” she exclaimed, hurrying over to them. “Looks like you need your dress sized up, huh?”

Feeling ignored, Blink plopped back down on the couch next to Crutchie with a huff. Crutchie smacked him with a pillow playfully and stifled a laugh.

Smalls was nodding at the girl-- Kara-- who was reaching into her basket for a measuring tape, which she proceeded to stretch out and hold up to Smalls in an array of orientations. “It's a beautiful color on you,” Kara said with a smile while wrapping the tape around Smalls's arm. “I used to have a dress like that. It was one of my favorites.”

“She'll look gorgeous in it once we get it all tucked up an’ washed,” Medda agreed. She plucked a few pins from the basket and began marking the dress with them. “There we go,” she said finally, after sticking the last pin in with a flourish. She smiled at Smalls. “Now, if you’ll just slip on out of it, darlin’, Kara can get it fixed up for ya.”

Smalls's cheeks reddened and she wrapped her arms around her waist. “I--”

“No!” Blink said abruptly, jumping up from the couch. 

Bewildered, Medda glanced between the two of them. “It's all right, it ain't gonna hurt nothin’ for you to see her undershirt.”

“No, Medda, don't,” Blink insisted. He was already moving to stand next to the little girl protectively. “You don't understand.”

“Blink,” Smalls mumbled, still blushing furiously and staring at the floor. 

“Let her talk, Blink,” Crutchie added gently.

“I just--” Blink began. “You don't gotta take your clothes off if you don't wanna,” he said to Smalls.

Smalls shook her head. “It's-- it's okay, Blink,” she stammered. “I-- I want my dress fixed.”

“Okay. Yeah.” Blink’s eye flickered from Smalls to Medda to Kara, almost warningly. “All right.”

Medda raised an eyebrow. “No need to get antsy, Mr. Bartlett. You know as well as anybody that it don't matter to me what anybody got under their dresses.”

It was Blink’s turn to go red in the face. “Yes, ma’am.” He went back to the couch, but stayed upright and alert, watching over Smalls carefully. 

Medda and Kara helped Smalls out of the dress, lifting it carefully so as not to displace any of the pins. Kara moved to the pouf Smalls had been sitting on, and with the dress in her lap, started sorting through her sewing basket for a needle and thread. Medda squeezed Smalls's hands. “You doin’ okay, honey?”

Smalls nodded, only a trace of nervousness still in her expression. “Thank you.”

“Oh, it ain't any trouble at all!” Medda beamed. “Why don't you sit on up here?” She reached for a heart-shaped throw pillow, which she placed on top of her vanity chair and patted for Smalls to sit on.

Smalls hopped up to the vanity. She stared at herself in the mirror, and her messy-haired, freckle-dotted reflection stared back. She reached up to her face, immediately frowning and making an attempt to smooth the frizz from her hair.

“Oh, don't do that,” Medda corrected her gently, pulling her hands away. She glanced over her shoulder as the sound of high-heeled footsteps passed by the open doorway and reached out a beckoning finger. “May! Will you come in here?”

The girl scurried inside. She glanced warily at Crutchie and Blink, but relaxed once she saw Kara sitting next to them, and Medda at the mirror with Smalls. “What's going on in here?”

“We’re just givin’ this nice young lady some help with her dress. She’s been livin’ with too many boys around her, that's all.” Medda shot a glance at Crutchie and Blink. “And I was just wonderin’, since you're such an angel at doin’ up hair, if you could show Smalls how to do a nice braid or two?”

“Sure!” May smiled. “I’m May, Smalls. Nice to meet you. Sorry to hear about all the boys.” She winked at Smalls in the mirror.

Smalls smiled shyly. “It's okay. I don't mind them.”

“Well, they sure don't know much about hair, that's for certain,” May said, already untying the ribbon at the end of Smalls's hair and reaching for the brush that had been sitting on the vanity. She undid the braid quickly and deftly, and started running the brush through Smalls's hair in even, controlled strokes.

Blink and Crutchie sat on the couch, stunned into submission, as the three women hovered over Smalls, talking to her, joking with her, and touching her hair and her face affectionately. They had only compliments and encouragement for her, even about the things Blink knew Smalls hated about herself-- her all-encompassing freckles, her eyebrows, the shape of her mouth, the crease in her chin. It was almost unnoticeable without a good hard look, but after just a few minutes of talking to Medda, Kara, and May, Smalls was already sitting up taller, holding her head up higher, and meeting their eyes as she spoke. She became more relaxed, even answering their more personal questions. She told them that she was eight years old, that her best friend was named Kitty, that her favorite color was pink (“Me too!” Medda and Kara said simultaneously, with a laugh), that she liked to read and help Specs with the other littles’ lessons. It was the most relaxed Blink had seen her in a long time, he realized.

“You know, if you brush your hair a hundred times, it'll stay nice and smooth.” May finished brushing Smalls's hair and ran her fingers through it a few times. “See?”

Smalls reached up to stroke her now smooth and tangle-free hair. She smiled appreciatively. “Wow.”

“Beautiful already,” Medda said, looking on proudly. “Kara, how's our dress comin’?”

“Almost there,” Kara said cheerily. “It’s an easy fix. She just needed it taken in in a few places.”

“Good.”

May was talking Smalls through how to braid a small section of her hair. “--over, and then that piece under,” she said, guiding her fingers. “There you go! You've got it.”

“Really?” Smalls asked, looking up at her hopefully.

“Yes!” May smiled encouragingly and reached for a hairpin, which she slid into Smalls's hair to hold the braid in place. “You do the other half, now, okay? I'll be right back. I have just the thing to finish it off.”

Smalls fiddled with her own hair, winding it up into another braid and pinning it back just as May came back into the dressing room. “Jack showed us how to do this to keep our paints organized for shows,” she said, sliding a flat tray onto the vanity. It was filled with organized rows of little glass containers, each one containing a little bit of colored powder. The rows were meticulously sorted by color, creating an eye-pleasing rainbow. “He called it a... a…” She frowned and snapped her finger, trying to come up with a word.

“A color palette?” Crutchie offered.

“Yes!” May exclaimed. “That's right. A color palette.”

“Maybe the boys aren't so useless after all,” Kara joked.

May laughed. She and Medda started chattering again as they used their fingers to brush the powders lightly across Smalls's face-- a little bit of pink for her cheeks, and darker shades for her eyelids. 

As Blink watched them, he remembered briefly a time when he sat in front of a similar mirror, smudging on colored powder and tugging at his own hair. He'd hated that reflection. He shoved the memory away, glad Smalls was finally happy with the face she saw in her own mirror.

By the time they'd finished with Smalls's hair and makeup, Kara had tied off the loose ends on her dress. Medda helped Smalls down from the vanity, and after pulling on the dress, buttoning it up, and straightening it out, there was a collective gasp from the ladies. It fit her perfectly. They fawned over Smalls, complimenting her again and again, gushing over how beautiful she looked. Smalls stood tall and beamed, eyes glowing proudly. She looked over at Blink and Crutchie, who both returned her wide smile.

“Wait ‘till I show everybody!” Smalls said excitedly.

“Yeah!” Crutchie agreed. “I bet they’s gonna love it.”

“I love it already,” Blink said. He grinned at Smalls.

“You'd better bring your boys on home now,” Medda said, smoothing Smalls's hair with one hand. “You come back and see me soon, all right?”

Smalls nodded, looking up at all three ladies admiringly. “Can I come back tomorrow so you can fix my other dress?”

“Of course!” Kara laughed. “I'll see you then.”

Smalls smiled at her, and turned to follow Blink and Crutchie to the door. “Wait!” May interrupted quickly. She reached up and unclasped something from her neck, and hurried over to Smalls. She bent down and handed her the tiny silver object. “Here. I think this’ll look much better on you.”

Smalls lifted up the necklace. It was no more than a small rhinestone hung on a silver chain. She looked up at May, wide-eyed. “But-- it's yours.”

May shook her head. “I want you to have it.” She took the necklace and clasped it around Smalls's neck. She smiled at her. “See? A perfect fit.”

Smalls touched the bead delicately. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Aw.” May reached out and hugged Smalls quickly, giving her a tight, affectionate squeeze. “You're welcome, sweetheart.” She stood up again. “Medda’s right. You'd better get home before dark.”

Medda nodded. “Stay safe, you three.”

Blink took Smalls's hand, and they all headed for the doorway. “We will. Thanks, Miss Medda.”

“Anytime!” Medda responded.

As they left the theater and walked home, there was no sign of either Delancey brother. The streets were starting to empty out, and the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in rosy hues as the three newsies made their way back to the Lodge. 

As she kept pace between Crutchie and Blink, Smalls tipped up her chin, and couldn't wipe the smile from her face. One hand in Blink’s and one hand on her rhinestone necklace, she never looked down, never faltered-- and didn't trip over her skirt even once.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr @somekindaspacecadet where I post mildly interesting content !  
> Also I have a few other fics up rn about other underappreciated newsies and ships so I'd love it if you wanted to read those <3 (and stay tuned for a college au hopefully coming soon with many many lgbt+ newsboys)


End file.
